As a faculty member, I often assign students to work on projects throughout the term - working in groups is a great way for students to come together both socially and within the school setting. I choose the groups, making sure that "new" students are paired with more experienced students - I also like to encourage a bit of competetion between the groups - in this way, the groups come to rely on each other more and new students feel that they are accepted and that they belong here.
